Adjustable waist for trousers



April 13, 1954 a. R. CANTIL ADJUSTABLE WAIST FOR TROUSERS Filed Aug. 8, 1952 2 Sheet s-Sheet l INVENTOR 6504 65 I F0001 F (AA/77L April 1954 e. R. CANTIL ADJUSTABLE WAIST FOR TROUSERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8, 1952 INVENTOR 650265 FUDOLF CANT/L ATTO N Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to wearing apparel and more particularly to means for adjusting the waist of trousers, slacks or shorts.

In the manufacture of such garments, for instance mens pants, it is necessary to make final alterations in the Waist when the garment is finally fitted to a particular wearer. To avoid the time and trouble consumed in making these adjustments, various adjustable waist means have been proposed. However, they generally cause unseemly bunching and gathering of the material, so that the garment does not look well and does not fit properly on the waist of the wearer.

The present invention provides an adjustable waist which may be adjusted in a second by an unskilled person while he is wearing the garment. The adjustment is designed and constructed so that it does not detract from the proper fit or appearance of the garment, but provides a neatly fitting, comfortable garment. providing folds in the waist to make pleats which are coincident with the creases in the trousers. A special buckle fastener is inserted in the folds so as to vary the depth of the pleats.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide adjustable waist means for pants, slacks or shorts.

Another object of the invention is to provide trousers having a concealed adjustment for the waist.

Another object of the invention to provide concealed waist adjustments for such garments which may be easily and quickly made.

Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved waist adjustments for trousers, slacks, or shorts, comprising folded portions in the waist, adapted to form pleats in the trousers coincident with the creases in the trouser legs, and special fastening buckles attached inside the folded portions which are adapted to change the waist dimension.

Another object is to provide a garment which is easily adjustable by an unskilled person to provid the maximum comfort and best fit.

Another object is to provide more efficient and cheaper garment adjustment means for manufacturing.

Another object is to provide an adjustable gar-- ment for men, women or children which is easy to press, and neat in appearance.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from th following specification and drawings of which:

Figure l is a, pattern and Figure l-A is a perspective view showing the pleat turned out,

This is done by Figure 2 is a pattern and Figure 2-A is a perspective view showing the pleat turned in,

Figure 3 is a view showing an embodiment of the invention,

Figure 3-A is a crossection of the waist portion,

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show details of mounting the buckles for the invention,

Figure 7 shows a view of another embodiment of the invention,

Figure 8 is an elevational view of the buckle employed in Figure 3,

Figure 9 is an elevational view of a slightly modified buckle in which the prongs are closer together.

Figure 1 illustrates a pattern and Figure l-A a sectional view of a pair of trousers corresponding to the pattern. The waist is folded at 2 to form a pleat 3 in the trousers, the pleat being folded out away from the fly The right side pocket 5 is shown by the dotted lines. The pattern Figure 1 shows the waist portion 1 unfolded, and the location of the pleat line 3 in relation to the position of the pocket 5. This pattern is for the pleat folded out away from the fly as shown. Figure l-A shows the overlapping portion 8 of the left half of the trousers. The waist portion is formed by folding the material as shown by the pattern Figure l at i.

Figure 2 shows a left side pattern and Figure 2-A a sectional View of a left hand portion of the trousers. in Figure 2 the pleat E3 is folded in towards the fly t by the fold i 2 in the waist portion. Figures 1 and 2 llustrate two different types of pleats. The pattern Figure 2 shows the relation of the pocket Hi to the pleat line it" when the pleat is turned in. Note that this case the pocket front edge crosses the pleat line. The waist portion l is like that of Figure 1.

The waist portion is made by folding the same material as shown by the patterns. This provides a light pliable waist portion which may be folded and still remain flat and neat looking, and which will not cause any bunching or wrinkling of the material.

Note that the distance between the pleat line and the front edges 1 and T of the respective patterns is different because of the different manner of forming the pleats in Figures 1 and 2. Ihis is to insure that the pocket does not interfere with the creas line or the pleat of the trousers.

The pleats are arranged to flow into and be coincident with the creases of the trousers and this feature makes the adjustment of th waist possible without afiecting the appearance of the garment. The depth of the pleat is adjustable and it tapers down into the crease uniformly.

Another feature of the invention is the ease of pressing the trousers. When the strap is disengaged, the trousers may be laid flat on the press and pressed along the crease and pleat line. After pressing, the strap is re-inserted and properly adjusted in a second. The pleats never interfere with the pressing and never leave a pressing mark since the pleat is not pressed on top of any other portion of the garment.

Figure 3 illustrates in detail the folded portion of the waist l which forms the pleat 20. The waist I has an inner fold 2| and an outer fold 22. The buckle 23 is inserted through the center of the outer fold 22. The strap 25 is sewn to the waist at 2B and its free end is drawn through the buckle 23. The distance between the two folds 22 and 21 is adjustable and this adjustment may be made in a split second by tightening the strap 30. Strap loop 25 engages the inner portion of the strap to prevent any possibility of sagging of the waist line. It is not necessary unless the strap is quite extended.

Figure 3-A shows a cross section of the waist portion l which is formed by folding thicknesses of the same material. There is another material for stiffening added. Therefore, the waist portion is pliable and may be folded fiat without any wrinkles or bulges. The outer fold of the pleat 20 is coincident with the crease of the trousers as explained in connection with Figures 1 and 2.

The front of the trousers are cut in such a manner that the waist is cut from the same material and then lapped back, making the top of the trousers fiat and neat. This will save time in the manufacturing of the garment, and will also keep the crease and pleat in place. The waist may be adjusted three inches in either direction without marring the proportions of the garment.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show how the buckles are fastened to the waist portion. Figure 4 shows an expanded inner view of the outer fold 22. Two prongs 30 and 3i of the buckle are inserted through the center of the outer fold 22 and fastened to the loop member 33 by bending the ends of the prongs 30 and St. The other side of the loop member 33 is fastened to the waist by means of tape 34 which is sewn to the waist I. The edges of the buckle members are preferably rounded to prevent cutting the material.

Figures 5 and 6 show successive steps in the fastening of the buckle to the waist. The material is first sewn along the top edge 35 and bottom edge 36 and then joined together across the full width of the waist portion.

Figure 7 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, wherein the waist portion I is formed of another color material thereby giving the appearance of a separate belt without any added weight.

The invention may be used with slacks and shorts and other garments as well as trousers, and the term trousers is used generically to include all the equivalent garments which may use the invention.

The principal objective of my invention has been to provide trousers for which the waist size may be adjusted, so that the trousers will, at any time, meet the requirements of the wearer, thereby eliminating the necessity of alteration of the garment and at the same time to preserve the proper fit and appearance.

Another objective has been to provide trousers which will be cut in such a manner that they will neatly and properly fit on the wearer and enable him to adjust one or both sides to his own personal comfort, without wrinkling, bulging or gathering at the waist, and without unbalancing the cut of the trousers. The adjustment can be easily worked by an unskilled person in a second. The crease will always stay in place and the trousers will always look neat and well tailored, regardless of the adjustment. This is achieved by providing folds at the waist, which coincide with pleats in the material and with the creases in the trousers. Even after adjustment, the crease will always remain in the same position. A specially designed buckle fastener for this purpose is concealed behind the fold so that the garment may be easily and quickly adjusted. The pleat will, therefore, never jump or stay out of place. The pleats will fall directly into the crease, and the adjusting buckle will give the garment a fine finish.

What is claimed is:

A pair of trousers comprising a waistband section and a pair of leg portions, said trousers having a pleat extending through the waistband into the top of the leg portion, the outer fold of said pleat being fixed and the inner fold being adjustable, a buckle having extension members extending through the fold of said fixed pleat, a rigid support member connecting said extension members inside said fold, said support member extending substantially across said waistband section, thereby transversely supporting the folded edge of the waistband, and a strap secured to said waistband section opposite said buckle and adapted to engage said buckle to adjust the depth of said pleat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 700,903 Davis May 27, 1902 1,611,588 Hyde Dec. 21, 1926 2,140,221 Cornish Dec. 13, 1938 2,294,365 De Rose Sept. 1, 1942 2,504,718 Nagel Apr. 18, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 482,676 Great Britain Apr. 4, 1938 

